Japans Mt. Fuji presents a beautiful backdrop for the city of
Tokyo in this perspective view generated using data from the
Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). Occupying most of the image
foreground, Tokyos metropolitan area, at about 13,388 square
kilometers (5,169 square miles), is home to more than 32 million
people, making it the most densely populated urban area in the
world. Tokyo residents live within striking distance of Japan's
tallest volcano, which is also the country's highest point at
3,776 meters (12,388 feet). Mt. Fuji is still considered active,
although the last major eruption of this perfectly symmetrical
stratovolcano came in 1707. Because of its height and
spectacular scenery, Mt. Fuji is a favorite for touring, mountain
climbing and hiking. In this image, elevations are represented by
color; height increases from white to green to brown. For
visualization purposes, topographic heights are exaggerated two
times.

The elevation data used in this image was acquired by SRTM aboard
the Space Shuttle Endeavour, launched on February 11, 2000. SRTM
used the same radar instrument that comprised the Spaceborne
Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR)
that flew twice on Endeavour in 1994. SRTM was designed to
collect three-dimensional measurements of Earths land surface.
To collect the 3-D SRTM data, engineers added a mast 60 meters
(about 200 feet) long, installed additional C-band and X-band
antennas, and improved tracking and navigation devices.